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My brother in law Troy says, “sometimes a good idea goes bad, but more often it’s a bad idea that goes bad.”

Perhaps this post will prevent the implementation of yet another bad idea.

And, there’s this, for you personally: in your life, do you want to feel good in the moment, or do you want the truth – even if that truth really, really hurts?

As painful as it often is, I ALWAYS seek the truth and then move outward from there. It’s not heroic. It’s pragmatic. If one doesn’t work with reality as-it-is, life will be a slap-dash fool’s game.

If you prefer to wallow in feel-good fantasy regarding the viability of the ORP’s recall efforts, go ahead and call me anti-Republican and a trouble-maker. It’s OK. Not too long ago the Oregon Republican Party Chairman did just that. But still, I’ve been called worse. And anyway, it’s not the truth about me, at least the “anti-Republican” part.

The trouble-maker part? Maybe. But if so, that’s just a minor byproduct of pointing out the truth.

Here we are, three weeks out from the official failure of the recall petition to remove Governor Kate Brown, and way too many Republicans are still arguing about WHY the petition failed. They thrash back-and-forth in a messy social media blame-game of what must have gone wrong. Distracted – and good naturedly assuming the best intentions of their ORP leadership – they are not seeing the actual reason for the recall effort.

The reality? What went wrong was that the ORP Executive Committee initiated a recall petition in the first place. And now your leadership is talking about a second one. Why? Because for their purposes, the first one succeeded in spectacular fashion and they have every reason to believe a second one would be equally successful.

I’m not being facetious in saying “for their purposes.”

It’s diabolical: An aberrant purpose shrouded by a suspicious proposition, the failed recall petition accomplished precisely what our leaders wanted it to accomplish.

Let’s go one layer deeper to focus on our Republican leadership’s actual goal, not their professed desire to remove Kate Brown or their silly “let’s-send-those-awful-Democrats-a-message” BS.

Get this: The ORP’s recall petition, initiated last July, came directly on the heels of Michael Cross’s effort. Because of this move – deliberate vote splitting by the ORP brass – both petitions were instantly guaranteed to fail. But for the ORP’s Executive Committee top leaders who certainly knew this, failure would be a perfectly acceptable end result.

The recall petition’s actual purpose was not to displace Kate Brown or to “send a message.” It was to distract our Republican base from the upcoming elections for at least four solid months. And yes, if we continue to argue amongst ourselves about why it failed, a huge chunk of us will be distracted/demoralized right through the holidays.

This means that for a total of six months we will have been sidetracked; manipulated into believing the recall effort would remove Kate Brown and would, praise God, solve all our political problems.

For those who initiated the doomed petition, mission accomplished!

And yes, timed perfectly, we’re now about to get another ORP-generated recall-Kate-Brown petition rammed down our throats, thus prolonging chaotic distraction within our base for the NEXT six months, right up to the primary elections.

The ORP Chair’s inane argument for initiating Recall-Part-Deux? “Sometimes you have to fight twice to win once.”

It’s simple leftist political genius: for a solid year, distract the Republican base from focusing on the 2020 primary elections thus insuring the continued Democrat progressive dominance in Salem.

Oh, and in initiating a second go-round, I presume ORP leadership will mention that, in the extremely remote possibility the recall petition succeeds, Kate Brown will stay in office until a special election is called, right about the time of the primary elections next May.

After all the Republican anger and chaos, what do you think the chances would be of winning that special election? You’re right: zero chance. But even if we managed to remove Brown – in the midst of the primary elections, most of which we’ll be losing because we’ve been emotionally preoccupied with these endless recall petitions – we’ll be replacing crazy Democrat governor Kate Brown with equally crazy current Democrat Treasurer Tobias Read…and this will set up Read to be the incumbent Democrat governor in the 2022 gubernatorial race! If you don’t believe this is true, call Republican Secretary of State Bev Clarno and ask her.

Incumbent candidates almost always win their re-election races.

In the chaotic distraction over recall petition efforts that produce bad results no matter their outcomes, here’s the bottom-line goal of the petition promoters (and quietly nodding-in-approval Democrat progressives): Republicans will not be prepared for the 2020 primary elections.

And no question, over the years, primary elections are where we’ve lost the state to Democrats.

Initiate another recall petition now and next May we’ll again have lefty RINO-approved statewide candidates who can’t win their general elections (most recently, think Buehler and Pierce), and in many internal races we’ll have no nominees at all. (In the 2018 elections, 25% of our sixty House races had no Republican general election candidates. Yes, you read that correctly.)

Can you now see that if our ORP leaders want to guarantee continued Progressive Democrat control in Salem – and by their actions and non-actions it sure seems that way – initiating a second recall petition is the proper tact? It makes perfect sense if one accepts the very believable hypothesis that top state ORP leaders don’t give a rat’s butt about regular every-day Oregonians like us. If you truly think this tiny handful of leaders at the tippy-top of the ORP Executive Committee leadership-chain actually cares about you and me, great. Then post your evidence on Facebook so the rest of us can see what we’ve been overlooking.

For those of you who have been thinking a second recall effort is the secret sauce we’ve all been waiting for, take a deep breath and reconsider your position based on the obvious facts, not what feels good in the moment.

And don’t blame me if the above logic distresses you. I’m just the reality-messenger. But then again, feel free to attack me personally if that makes you feel better. I really don’t care. Really.

Bottom-line, we Oregon Republicans have been manhandled by our own leadership, just when they should be laser-focused on the only salvation there is, the upcoming 2020 primary elections. Have you noticed? Notwithstanding the horrible ORP website, never does state party leadership discuss the Salem super-majority problem or give more than lip service to what we need to do to deliver seven electoral votes to President Trump next November.

This ORP recall petition underhandedness is analogous to the tactics DC Democrats are using in their Donald Trump pseudo-impeachment circus. In each case, a dubious premise cloaks a nefarious intent. The glaring dissimilarity? Here in Oregon, it’s Republicans doing dirty work on fellow Republicans.

We can’t allow this second recall attempt to happen.

Please contact your ORP Central Committee/Executive Committee representatives and talk them out of this bad idea that will for sure, turn out bad. Tell them to instead insist that their Executive Committee focus on the only two goals that matter and are actually attainable: removal of the Democrat super-majorities in Salem, and the delivery of seven electoral votes to President Trump next November.

Let’s get that done, and then we’ll deal with the governorship in 2022.
-Sam Carpenter

No Knute is good Knute

Editorial by David Jaques, Roseburg Beacon, 10/30/2019

Congressman Greg Walden announced this week that he would not seek re-election in 2020. He said the decision was not because he didn’t think the House would remain in Democrat control, but that it was time to pursue new interests at this stage in his life.

Well, many, me included, have been disappointed in the lone Republican Congressman from Oregon’s second congressional district for some time now.
He is in a safe district, comprised of a farming, ranching, and timber based economy and yet his voting record is one of the worst of the Republicans in congress when it comes to following the Constitution. On the Freedom Index out of a possible 100% Walden scored an anemic 49%, as compared to Jim Jordan from Ohio for example with a solid 81%, or Senator Rand Paul with a stellar 94%. The Heritage Foundation’s Heritage Action rating has Walden at just 63% out of a possible 100%.

Greg Walden was brought up, politically speaking by one of Oregon’s true conservatives, Congressman Denny Smith, a former Air Force Fighter pilot and current newspaper publisher, who once held the seat representing Eastern Oregon. Denny was in the 90% conservative voting index rating consistently throughout his congressional career.

Greg Walden has been at odds with his constituents on a number of key issues, among those breaching dams. He has been a consistent critic of President Trump. But enough about Walden, other than to say he stayed too long and it’s time for a new direction for CD2.

That said, two time statewide election loser, Knute Buehler has announced that he is considering running for Walden’s seat in the 2020 primary election. Buehler lost two statewide elections to Kate Brown, and that takes some doing! He lost in his race for Oregon Secretary of State in 2012 by more than 136,000 votes with a percentage gap between him and Kate Brown of more than 8%. Then in their rematch, this time for Oregon Governor, in 2018 he lost again by 120,000 votes and a margin spread of about 7 points.

Like the man he would like to follow, Greg Walden, Knute Buehler too, is anti- Trump. He has opposed him on immigration reform, took him to task on his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh, calling on the president to withdraw his nomination, and in general has been against the president from the get-go. And this will not y with CD2 voters, who overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016. And 90% of Oregon Republican voters support our president.

Buehler is wrong on abortion, stating during his run for governor he would not support changing one law on the books in Oregon, which allows abortion up to the day of delivery for any reason, including sex- selection and provides free abortions to illegals.

Buehler is wrong on the second amendment too, and had an “F” rating from Oregon Firearms Federation. In fact it is easy to make the case that Buehler is at odds with much of the Oregon Republican Party platform, yet he was sold as the best alternative to Kate Brown. Look how that turned out!

Oregon republicans do not support liberal RINO candidates. Ask Gordon Smith. He ran as a Reagan Republican, and like Walden apparently caught Potomac fever. When the republican voters discovered he was not a conservative, they turned him out. Monica Wehby should have been a slam dunk to win the U.S, Senate race, until she abandoned her pro-life position to try and court moderates, and she lost.

Buehler’s RINO brand of Republican just won’t y in Oregon’s most conservative district. He couldn’t win even when he had all the Portland metro, Salem, and Eugene liberals voting. How does he expect to do better facing real grass roots republicans in the primary in Oregon’s rural Eastern district?

The last thing we need is Buehler ghting against two or more conservatives in the primary, like he did in the governor’s race, while the conservative split the vote, liberal Rhodes Scholar Knute wins the primary and then loses the general, giving another seat to the Dems!

Oregon republicans had better get behind a conservative candidate early and decisively and head off another Buehler debacle! This is a time nationally when republicans need to gain new seats, not risk losing solid Republican held seats.

Buehler needs to stay down in San Diego, where he just started a new business, and let Oregon conservatives chart a new course, a traditional Oregon values course, for CD2. And we need a congressman who can work well with President Donald J. Trump in his second term!

–David J

(Note: David nailed this exactly. As for us, if Buehler decides to run, we will use every resource in our power to convince district voters to deny him the nomination. If he’s not working directly for the other side, his duplicitousness, political tactlessness and disdain for every-day Oregonians accomplishes the same thing. -sam and Diana)

One either supports President Trump or one does not. And in this intense polarization there is an annoying nuance that has attached itself to some of my Republican friends and supporters.

It’s a simple thing that has metastasized into elephant-in-the-living-room prominence. It rudely slaps me in my face in conversations, essays, Facebook comments, radio and TV interviews, and books.

It’s the self-righteous equivocation of Donald Trump. It’s a submissive playing-both-sides positioning taken in order to avoid a 100% commitment to the one man who has the guts to take on the scummy deep state politicians and bureaucrats who surround us.

Here are recent examples from my own life:

In a coffee house chat: “I like Trump’s policies, but I think he’s an arrogant narcissist”

In a political essay that praises the President but contains a qualifier: “I love-the-guy despite all his personal foibles.”

A tedious online dissertation that goes on and on about Trump’s backbone only to take a last-minute plunge into a brief but vitriolic attack on his personality and alleged bad mannerisms…before rebounding and ending with praise.

A personal conversation: “I like what he’s doing but I wish he wouldn’t tweet so much. It’s unseemly. As President, he should be more dignified.”

To his friends, does a man point out flaws in his wife, even as he praises her?

As I introduce a speaker to a group, shall I begin by listing his/her short-comings?

Do Democrat progressives prevaricate as they discuss their favorite candidate? (I’ve NEVER heard a Democrat say ANYTHING negative about ANY Democrat candidate! Have you?)

Lately, I’ve been calling out my Republican friends as they begin to hedge about our President. Before they get too far I stop them cold and tell them their equivocation, no matter how brief, will completely negate any amount of praise that might follow.

And I tell them it makes them look wishy-washy and that, true or not, they appear to be never-Trumper/progressive sympathizers. Pussyfooters.

I tell them – always men – that the women in their lives ARE watching. (Have you noticed that conservative women NEVER vacillate in their support of President Trump? It’s always the guys!)

These men will tell you that the equivocating makes them look fair and reasonable.

No, it makes them look fearful.

And as a personal stratagem, it’s childish to point out that “everyone has personal flaws, and so does Donald Trump.” We learned the universality of personal imperfection in catechism and/or the 3rd grade.

Is this you?

If so, in changing your ways and refusing to hedge about our President, what is the political good news for you personally?

First understand that truly progressive leftists compose maybe half of Oregon Democrats. Yes, they control Salem for now, but 50% of Democrats equals only 20% of the entire voter base. This means we don’t need progressives to vote our way next November.

In any case that 20% segment is never going to be convinced to see things your way. They are, literally, incorrigible in their politics. Why is this good news? Because you can ignore them. Save your breath. It doesn’t matter what they think. And know this for sure: because you are a conservative, they are never, ever going to like or respect you, no matter what you say or do.

Use your energy to communicate with the other 80% of voters who are willing to listen, the ones who actually do have open minds.

How liberating!

And know for sure: in 2019, politics in America is not a friendly debate. It’s war. Like our progressive foes, let’s act like it.

So in chatting with me personally, if you’re going to insert even a tiny bit of personal insult toward my President, I will jump to the conclusion that you are a side-stepping never-Trumper and in that moment our communication will be finished.

One way or the other, man-up! Support our President unequivocally or admit you’re on the other side. Here, in this battle of our lifetimes, there is no middle ground.

P.S. Join us on our Facebook Page at 7:00PM PST on Wednesday (the 30th) for a fifteen minute Facebook live-streaming event.

As of yesterday, the actual number was 130,314, less than half of Currier’s number.

The ORP’s effort obtained 46% of the signatures necessary to put the petition on a ballot.

The colossal failure had much to do with the “vote-splitting” effect of the ORP petition drive which was launched after Michael Cross’s effort was already underway, obliterating any chance of success for either petition. As you may know, this vote-splitting manipulation is standard protocol for Ruling Class “establishment” Republican politicians in primary elections. https://www.makeoregongreatagain.com/book/votesplitting/

Chair Currier also stated the ORP Executive Committee is considering implementing a second attempt at recall in the next weeks. He said, “Sometimes you have to fight twice to win once.” What would be the end result? Our Republican base would be distracted for months and then, in the end, profoundly disappointed…again. Never mind that the ORP’s already near-zero candidate cash reserves would be depleted…again, and that even if the attempt were successful – extremely improbable – in 2022 we would be facing Democrat governor Tobias Read who, as an incumbent, would be enormously more formidable than the brand-new Democrat candidate we would otherwise be facing.

Like you, and contrary to the state ORP’s positioning,* we believe Oregon truly can be great again!

So, let’s take a new path and focus on getting the job done individually and at the ORP county level. And what is the job? In November of next year, it’s to remove the Democrat legislative super majorities in Salem and to deliver Oregon’s seven electoral votes to President Trump. Then in November 2022, we’ll turn Oregon red by winning the governorship and taking control of both chambers of the legislature.

Sound good? Do you want to get involved, and stay connected? Simply “Like” this Facebook page, and then join our website mailing list at www.makeoregongreatagain.com. (And at the site, be sure to carefully read the home page message. It’s a “summary of everything.”)

The La Grande Observer

Our View: Wasted efforts for nothing

Two efforts to recall Gov. Kate Brown stalled Monday, sending the clear message that while many voters are dissatisfied with her performance she isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Both efforts — one organized by the Oregon Republican Party — failed by substantial margins.

There are a lot of things that make the state’s recall system important — in fact, crucial in some respects — but this latest recall effort was in a real sense a waste of time.

A lot of voters in Oregon don’t like Brown. They don’t like her policies or her political philosophy. Especially east of the Cascades, the governor’s popularity isn’t as high as she or her supporters would like.

In other sections of the state, the governor doesn’t face that problem and her policies are considered sound.

Our political system is designed where fractures in public opinion are common and rarely does a politician gain the kind of widespread popularity they seek.

The recall system in Oregon is needed, but it should be utilized only in the most serious circumstances. Simply disliking the governor isn’t sufficient ground to launch a recall effort. We concede anyone can be recalled for any reason, but that should not be a blank check to settle political grudges.

The recall tool is a necessary one, but it should be reserved for those who abuse their office or commit crimes or blatant breaches in ethics.

If one does not like the current chief executive of the state or the nation, there is already a process instilled into our system to change it. It’s called elections.

Republican Party leaders, especially, should have stepped into the recall effort and squashed it. Not because it was wrong — we’ve already conceded recalls are sometimes necessary — but because it was a waste of time.

If Republicans really want to change leadership in Oregon, they should work hard to find a candidate that can beat a Democrat for the governor’s slot.

That isn’t as easy as it would seem — just review the last two elections for proof — but it needs to be a priority.

There also remains a host of serious political issues impacting our state right now that deserve the undivided attention of GOP leaders. Spending time and resources on a failed recall effort isn’t a viable method for the future.

We in Eastern Oregon don’t live in a vacuum. Generally, the region is a conservative Republican stronghold. But other portions of the state lean in a different political direction. We may believe our conservative values are paramount, but we — and the Republican Party — must convince the rest of the state.

Brown won’t be flushed

Editorial by David Jaques, Roseburg Beacon, 10/16/2019

Well, sadly the Recall Oregon Governor Kate Brown petition effort just got flushed! In spite of all the hard work and thousands of grass roots volunteer hours, the petition(s) came up short of the required 280,000 valid signatures needed to get the recall on the ballot.

Part of the confusion arose when the Oregon Republican Party at the last minute threw in for a competing recall drive. So even though voters were encouraged to sign both, some were afraid that if they signed one petition twice the entire page would have been thrown out.

Oregonians have never been successful in getting a recall of an elected governor on the ballot. And personally, while I totally get the frustration with the corruption of Kate Brown, and her unethical practices, she won her second term handily. And it was always my position that even IF the petition drive were successful, it was highly unlikely, if not impossible, that the same voters from Tri-County Portland metro, Salem, and Eugene that elected her the first
time, were going to change their vote

Oregonians and particularly Oregon democrats don’t mind corruption; in fact they have a very high tolerance for it. Remember John Kitzhaber and his girlfriend caught red-handed and then got away with a minor wrist slapping. And how about Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his Police Chief Daniele Outlaw?
They have nearly destroyed Portland and turned it over to illegals, homeless, and ANTIFA! In fact Portland is so weird they have banned urinals in the Portland Building which housed the administrative office s of city government. See my point? Yeah that’s to make them more inclusive for those who can’t tell which sex they are.

Interestingly the competing petitions may have gathered more than the required 280,000 unique signatures if combined, but we will never know. It is my firm belief that the Oregon Republican Party entry into the fray was a big mistake, if for no other reason than the effort then seemed purely partisan, sour grapes. But I think it perhaps goes even further; and that it may have been done by design to ensure defeat.

As to the ORP Chair Bill Currier announcement that they are considering a second try, that would be utter folly! I will assure you right here and now, that if they try another recall petition, they will NOT increase the number of signatures gathered, in fact they will drop to about 70% of the number of signatures they got this time.

Sadly as in any political defeat, it will take some time to get over the loss. They squandered a great deal of volunteer capital, resources and enthusiasm which might have been better placed in strengthening the field of conservative GOP candidates to win Oregon back for republicans. And to ensure that President Trump wins Oregon.Achieving those two will do a great deal more to return sanity to our state than running another sore loser recall campaign.

Please, no hate mail. I get why the recall had a strong legitimate appeal. I signed both petitions. But it wasn’t enough, and it won’t be next time. Let’s move on. We cannot afford to waste any time, money, or energy trying to go backwards.

The leadership in the Oregon Republican Party apparently still doesn’t get it yet. There is even talk about dragging Knute back from California, to run for Secretary of State. That was put forth by Bill Post, the perennial moderate in the Oregon legislature. He thinks the never Knute crowd will come to see the wisdom of electing a Democrat dressed up as a Republican. IT WON’T HAPPEN! Knute caused us to lose the Governor’s chair when he conspired
with the Wooldridge campaign and split the conservative vote gaining him the nomination and handing the election to Brown.

Oregon Republicans will not elect a moderate, period. Let me be clear where I am. I will never vote for Knute Buehler, period. He opposes my President, and everything this party stands for.

So this is our time for the grass roots, Tea Party, conservative, Constitutional, liberty minded republicans to get things done. We must focus all of our efforts on the future, not trying to redo the past. We can and we must take this state back!